Driving and steering mechanism for motor-vehicles.



. I Patented Ian. I6, [900. C. T. HILDEBRANDT & F. R. McMULLlN. DRIVINGAND STEERING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

' (No Model.) 7

(Application filed Jan. 9, 1899.;

' 2 ShaetsSheet l.

R 4 FR 1 I Illllllllllll-IHHHF is rmwm ga iw/ %W/WfzwMezZM/ Mz%%m0W//%//Mw g, I FMU 0m 209/1 No. 64|,5||. Patented Ian. l6, I900.

c. T. HILDEBRANDT & F. R. MCMULLIN. DRIVING AND STEERING MECHANISM FORMOTOR VEHICLES.

(Application filed Jan. 9, 1899,) (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2,

0 IO 0: T3 E T NITED STATES PATENT CHICAGO,

' ILLINOIS.

DRlVlNG AND STEERING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,511, dated January16, 1900.

Application filed January 9,1899. Serial N- 70 1,570. (N0 model.) I

To all'whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES THEODORE HILDEBRANDT and FRANK ROSWELL M0ro thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and tothe'letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in motor-driven vehicles, andrefers more specilically to the driving and steering devices of suchvehicles of that character in which the front axle is connected with thedriving power and is constructed so as to permit the steering-Wheels'tobe swung thereon in horizontal planes for the purpose of steering thevehicle The invention consists in the matters here- -.-.inafter setforth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front view, 'partly in section, of amotor-driven vehicle constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig;2 is'a plan section taken on line 2 2 of 6 Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 aredetail. sections taken'on lines 3 3, 4 4, and 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is afront elevation of a portion of the driving'and steering devices. Figs.7 and 8 are elevations of parts of the wheel-hub.

In said drawings, A A designate the front 'steering-wheels, and B thebody of the vehi ole. The part of said vehicle corresponding to thefront axle of the usual vehicle and the purpose of which is to connectthe front part 40 of the body with the front wheels is composed of anumber of separate parts, constituting'a frame, and is made as follows:C. designates a cylindric casing or drum located centrally ofjand at thefront part of the vehicle, and O" C designate oppositelyeXtendingtubular sections which are provided on theirouter-ends withvertically-arranged fork arms O O and pass through and c on said casing.v i n D'designates abearing-block which rests are connected at theirinner ends with bosses upon the drum or casing O and serves to directlysupport the front spring B of the vehicle.

l) D designate upper and lower tie-rods which are attached at theiropposite ends to lugs c on the fork-arm O and are permanently attachedbetween theirends to the up per and lower sides of the drum or'casing O.Said bearing-block D is provided on opposite 6o sides of the drum orcasing O with depending arms D and to said arms are attached the forwardends of .the side bars E of the running-gear frame. Said block is thusrigidly connected with said side bars of the running-gear frame and isincapable of movement in a vertical plane with respect to the said sidebars; but the casing O and tubular sections 0 O are constructed to haveswinging move- Y ment in a vertical plane with respect to saidbearing-block and runninggear frame, so that the body, B will not betilted when one =-of the wheels A passes over an obstruct-ion.

First describing the steering mechanism or, the meansfor producingmovement of the steering-wheels about the outer end ofthesupporting-frame and in a manner to permit the vehicle to be steered andturned from a straight course, said frame is provided at its oppositeends'with short stub-axles F, which are so pivoted to'the frame as toswing in horizontal planes. As a means of attaching the said stub-axleto the frame they are herein shown as provided-With inwardly-extendingfork-arms F, which overlap the out weirdly-extending fork-arms C of thetubular sections 0 O and are connected therewith by'means of verticalpivot-pins f, located vertically above and below the axial center of thestub-axles F.

The yoke-arms Fare provided with rigidlyattached rearwardly-extendinglevers F and said levers are connected with means extending to a pointwithin reach of the operator bywhich the stub-axles and wheels mountedthereon .niay'be swung about the pivots of said stub-axlesto steer thevehicle. As

herein shown, said rearwardly-extendin'g levers F are connected with acentrally-located pivoted arm or plate F by means of. connectxooing-rods F. To said plate "or arm F is rigidly attached a rock-shaft Fwhich when rotated serves, through the connecting-rods F to swing therock-arms F and thereby swing the stub-axles about their pivots to steerthe vehicle in a well-known manner. Preferably the rock-shaft F will notitself extend within reach of the operator, but will be provided at itsupper end with a pinion f, which is adapted to be engaged by a gearwheelf mounted upon the lower end of a second rock-shaft F", which hasbearing on the front of the wagon-body and is provided at its upper endwith a hand-wheel F located in position to be readily grasped by theoperator.

The parts above described constitute the steering and supportingmechanism of the vehicle, and said parts are constructed to carry thedriving devices whereby power is communicated from the motor to thefront steering-wheels. Said driving devices are constructed as follows:The driving-shaft consists of four parts-namely, two middle 7 sections GG and two end sections G G.

Said parts G and G have bearing in the tubular sections 0' 0 while theend sections G have bearing in the axle-sections F, which are for thispurpose made tubular. Said inncr and outer sections of the shafts areunited by universal joints G of any approved form, whereby the outersections Gr may swing in a horizontal plane to conform to the movementof the stub-axles F. Said driving-shaft is connected with the source ofpower through the medium of a differential-gear mechanism II, and it isfor this purpose that the part of the shaft between the universal jointsG is made in two sections. The section G consists of a tubular part,which is mounted to rotate in the tubular section 0 Preferably the shaftwill not have bearing contact throughout the entire length of thetubular section 0 but will directly engage and have bearing contact witha bearin g sleeve or bushing 0 which is held in place by means ofset-screws .c, tapped through the boss 0 of the casting O and throughthe inner end of the tubular section C To the inner end of saidshaft-section G is attached one of the gear-wheels h of thediEerential-gear mechanism, and between said gear-wheel and bushing 0 isinterposed a short tubular section 0 which surrounds said tubularportion of the shaft and serves to properly space the parts on theshaft. The part G of the shaft consists of a solid shaft or rod,whichhas telescopic engagement with the tubular part G and will preferablyextend throughout the length of the latter. Said part G has directbearing contact with a bearing sleeve or bushing 0 mounted in the innerend of the tubular section 0, and is free from'contact with the saidtubular section in the other parts thereof. Said bushing O is held inplace by means of a setscrew 0 as is the bushing 0 before described.

One of the gear-wheels h ofthe diiferentialgear mechanism is rigidlyattached to the shaft-section G at one side of the center thereof,andbetween said gear-wheeland the bushing C is interposed a short tubularspaciug sleeve 0 The casing C is conveniently constructed to inclose thediEerential-gear mechi anism described and is provided on one or bothends thereof with removable covers 0, shaped to conform to the inclosedparts. The universal joints G are herein shown consisting of inwardlyand outwardly divergent forkarms, which are pivoted to a ball-shapedbody interposed between and embraced by the same, said pivot beingarranged in two different planes at right angles to each other. Thepivots of said universal joints are therefore located centrally of thefork -arms U. and F and are in the same vertical plane with and enablethe shaft-section G to swing about the same center of oscillation as thestub-axle F.

It will be seen thatthe shaft,'made up of the four parts, as described,hasbut four bearing points or sleeves-namely, the bushings C and C andthe tubular stub-axles F-- and that they are out of bearing contact withthe partsof the frame at other points.

The means for driving the wheels A from the shaft made as thus describedare constructed as follows: The outer parts G or shaft-sections of saiddriving-shaft, as before stated, extend outwardly through and havebearing within the tubular stub -axles F. Each shaft-section projectssome distance outside of the stub-axles, and upon said projecting partof the shaft is mounted a ring or washer g, which is secured to theshaft by means preventing rotation thereof with respect to saidshaft-as, for instance, by keys g, as shown in Fig. 5-and forms, ineffect, a flange on said shaft-section. Said ring fits closely againstthe outer end of the stub-axle and is provided radially outside of saidstubaxle with a circular series of bolt-apertures,

and through said apertures andlongitudinal apertures in the hub arepassed a plurality of screws or bolts G The hub will desir ably be madeof wood and bored to permit the passage of said bolts therethrough. Saidbolts are screw-threaded at their inner ends and engage screw-threadedapertures in a ring or washer g interposed between the rear end of thehub and the fork-arms F of the stub-axle F. Said ring or washer isintoriorly conformed to the shape of the adjacent ICC faces of thefork-arms, as shown in Fig. 1, so

as to fit closely against the same. The outer end of the shaft-section Gis screw-threaded and provided with a lock-nut G, by means of which thewheel-hub is held in place. With this construction power-from thedriving-shaf t is communicated through the shaftsection G to the ring orwasherg and by means of the bolts G to the wheel-hub.

The driving or steering device herein described is constructed to swingon a'horizontal pivot located central-1y 9f the front end of the wagon,so that when one of the steeringwheels passes over an elevation it willnot 65 Y Y in said frame, shaft-sections joined to said twist thewagon-bod y' or run nin g-gcar f rame.

Such horizontal pivot consists in the present instance of the cylindriccasing O. The construction by which this result is secured is as latter.

follows: The tubular sections (Rare rigidly attached to the casing ordru ln 0, so that when either end of the frame is thrownhpwardly byone-of the wheels passing over an elevation said drum will be caused torotate upon its axis. The bearing-block D is not attached rigidly to thecasing, so that when said casin g is thus partially rotated it turnsupon said bearing-block without givingrmotion to the Said hearing-blockis held from rising by means of suitable bands which embrace the undersurface ofthe opposite ends of the casing and are attached at theirupper ends to lugs 0 secured rigidly to or made intogral with said blockD. With this construction said bearing-block D at the upper side and ithe bands C at the lower side provide a seat within which the casing maybe rotated as one or the other of the. wheels A is moved verticallyabove the other one. The depending arms D ofv the bearing-block areprovided with slots d, as shown more clearly'in Fig. '1, through whichthe tubular sections 0' and 0 pass and which afford room for thevertical oscillations of said parts. The movement of said tubularsections caused by one of the wheels passing over an elevation isindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

A main or principal feature of our invention-is embodied in theconstruction wherein the stub-axles F are provided withinwardlyextending forkarms which are pivoted to outwardly-extending fork-arms on the frame and a rotarydriving-shaft, each half of whichconsists of two parts connected by a universal joint, which is locatedcentrally of and in the. same vertical plane as the pivotal connectionbetween the axle-section and frame and in which the outer part of saidshaft is connected with and drives the Wheel mounted on said stub-axle.This arrangement affords an extremely strong and compact constructionand at the same time preserves a uniform center of oscillation betweenthe two independentlypivoted parts of the steering and drivingmechanisms.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination with a-frame for supportingthe front part of a vehicle-body, of a rotative shaft mounted in saidframe, shaft sections joined to said shaft by universal joints, andhollow stub-axles pivoted to said frame by vertical pivots separate'fromand in Vertical alinement with said universal joint,

- the shaft-sections passing'through the stubaxles and being operativelyconnected with said hubs at the outer ends of the stub-axles. 2. Thecombination with a rigid frame for supporting the front part of avehicle-body,

said frame being provided with outwardlyextending fork-arms,a rotativeshaft mounted shaft by universal joints, stub-axles for the r i jwheel-hubs provided with inwardly-extending fork-arms adapted to overlapand pivoted to the fork-arms on the frame, said pivots being located invertical. alinement with said universal joints, and means connectingsaid shaft-sections with the wheel-hubs.

3. The combination with a frame for supporting the front of avehicle-body, of hollow,

stub-axles adapted to receive the steeringwheels, said axles beingpivoted to the frame to swing in horizontal planes, a rotativedriving-shaft mounted in said frame, shaft-sections which have bearin gin said hollow stubaxles and are connected at their inner ends with saidrotative shaft by universal joints,

and are connected at their outer ends with said wheelhubs, saidstub-axles being pivoted to the frame by pivots separate from and inalinement with said universal joints.

4. The combination with a frame for supporting the front of avehicle-body provided with oppositelyextending, verticallyarrangedfork-arms on its outer ends, of hollow stub-axles adapted to receive thesteeringwheels, said axles being provided withinwardly-extendingfork-arms which overlap said fork-arms of the frame and are unitedthereto by vertical pivots, a rotative drivingshaft in said frame andshaft-sections conthe stub-aides and means for connecting the outerendsof the shaft-sections with the wheel-hubs comprising a flangenon-rotatively connected with the. outer end of said shaft-section andattached to thetouter end of said hub.

6. The combination with a frame for supporting the front part of avehicle-body, a to t-ative=sl1aft mounted therein, shaft-sectionsconnected with said shaft by universal joints, 1

hollow stub-axles pivoted to said frame to swing in horizontal planesand adapted to receive awheel-hub, said shaft-sections extending throughsaid tubular stub-axles, and

means for connecting the outer endsof said shaft-sections with thewheel-hub, comprising flanges 0n the outer ends of said shaftsectionsand one or more boltspassing through said flange and engaginglongitudinal aper= tnres in said hubs. I

7. The combination of a frame fOrsupport ing the front of avehicle-body, a hollow stubaxle pivoted to said frame to swing in ahorizontal plane and adapted to receive a steer ing-wheel, a rotativedriving-shaft mounted in said frame, said driving-shaft extendingthrough and having bearing in said hollow stub-axle and adapted forconnection at its outer end with the wheel-hub.

8. The combination with the four parts of the shaft, difierential-gearmechanism connected with and actuating the two middleparts, universaljoints connecting the middle and outer parts, four sleeves forming beat"ings for the four parts of the shaft, vertical joints connecting theouter and middle sleeves and means connected with the outer sleeves forturning the same in steering the vehicle. In testimony that we claim theforegoing as our invention we affix our signatures, in ['5 presence oftwo witnesses, this 6th day of January, A. D. 1899.

CHARLES THEODORE llILDEBRANDT. FRANK ROSWELL MGMULLIN.

Witnesses: J. H. HAZZARD, R. CUTHBERT VIVIAN. I

